The Zero Theorem

The Zero Theorem
A man bathed in pink light, sitting with at a strange machine with glowing green cables seemingly coming out the back of his head.
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byTerry Gilliam
Written byPat Rushin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNicola Pecorini
Edited byMick Audsley
Music byGeorge Fenton
Production
companies
Distributed byStage 6 Films
Release dates
  • 2 September 2013 (2013-09-02) (Venice)
  • 14 March 2014 (2014-03-14) (United Kingdom)
Running time
106 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Romania
  • France
Languages
  • English
  • Romanian
Budget$8.5–13.5 million[2][3]
Box office$1.2 million[4]

The Zero Theorem is a 2013 science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Mélanie Thierry and Lucas Hedges. Written by Pat Rushin, the story is about Qohen Leth (Waltz), a reclusive computer genius tasked with solving a formula that will determine whether life holds meaning. The film began production in October 2012.[5]

Gilliam has given conflicting statements about whether The Zero Theorem is meant as the third part of a satirical dystopian trilogy ("Orwellian triptych") that began with 1985's Brazil and continued with 1995's 12 Monkeys.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ "THE ZERO THEOREM (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  2. ^ Brady, Tara (14 March 2014). "Terry Gilliam: 'The poetry of cinema has been replaced by the Dan Brown prose of cinema'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  3. ^ John Hopewell (31 August 2013). "Venice: Flexible Biz Model Amps Up Voltage". Variety.com. Retrieved 4 September 2013. €10.34 million (around $13.5 million)
  4. ^ "The Zero Theorem (2014) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  5. ^ "Dreams: Terry Gilliam talks about preproduction for The Zero Theorem". gilliamdreams.com. August 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  6. ^ Pulver, Andrew (2 September 2013). "Terry Gilliam blames internet for the breakdown in 'real relationships'". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2013. Calling it the third part of a trilogy formed by earlier dystopian satires Brazil and 12 Monkeys, Gilliam says ...
  7. ^ Brady, Tara (14 March 2014). "Terry Gilliam: "The poetry of cinema has been replaced by the Dan Brown prose of cinema"". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2014. Gilliam has suggested that The Zero Theorem may, together with Brazil and 12 Monkeys, form part of an Orwellian triptych.
  8. ^ Suskind, Alex (17 September 2014). "Interview: Terry Gilliam On 'The Zero Theorem,' Avoiding Facebook, 'Don Quixote' And His Upcoming Autobiography". IndieWire. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 16 October 2017. Well, it's funny, this trilogy was never something I ever said, but it's been repeated so often it's clearly true [laughs]. I don't know who started it but once it started it never stopped ...